Hummingbird Productions, a renowned, multi-award winning film and sound production company which has built its reputation as one of America's leading producers of commercials, sound design and original music, has achieved a truly rare accomplishment – it’s 40th Anniversary milestone this month. The company’s celebratory party was held at the company’s headquarters in Nashville on October 20, 2016.
Founded by iconic advertising industry ad man and music composer Bob Farnsworth in 1976, the company has established itself as the longest standing music commercial house in Nashville, TN, and the Southern U.S. Hummingbird Productions is the second oldest such company in the nation.
Regarding his company’s 40th anniversary, Farnsworth said, “I am ridiculously thrilled and delighted to have been spearheading Hummingbird Productions for four decades! Our team and I have worked with the most wonderful creatives in the world on thousands of national, regional and local campaigns for every conceivable product, service and brand across every media platform. I consider myself blessed to have reached this milestone, both on a professional, as well as a personal, level.”
Farnsworth’s encouragement to the artistic world is this: “I think I have made about every mistake there is to make on this journey, from my first commercial, which was so crazy that I literally got thrown out of the agency, to falling off the Conductor’s Podium – flat on my face – in front of the entire Philadelphia orchestra while rehearsing the commission I had composed for them. But… you just have to get up (literally in that case) and keep on going, because someone out there loves you.”
Seen in accompanying Group Photo, Hummingbird Productions Team Members: Joshua Stark, Michael Carnes, Evan Weaver, Dylan Steppeler, Haley Bussell, Aaron Howard, Bob Farnsworth, Kimberly Kolber, Chris Esposito, Willo Collins, Karen Espenant, and Matt Thompson.
Farnsworth is presently working on a book, entitled “40 Years On Music Row.” His book will be a collection of his strange experiences that demonstrate how – much like in sports – “It ain’t how many times you get knocked down. It’s how many times you can get back up.” Concurrently, Farnsworth will soon be launching, on November 1st, "Bobcasts," a brand new online blog and podcast series which will present “crazy, funny and poignant stories that all relate to the idea of perseverance.” The entries featured within “Bobcasts” will be culled from chapters of his upcoming book.
Hummingbird Productions, which, in addition to its history of providing original music and sound design also produces commercials, web content and corporate communications, spearheads these projects by integrating its team of directors, sound designers, and its music group, using the Hummingbird’s FUSIC production process, which integrates the sound and music from the VERY INCEPTION of an idea through to the end.
Hummingbird boasts membership in the Clio Hall of Fame for its Budweiser “Frogs” commercial – renowned as one of the Top Ten TV spots of all time – and its many other award winning ads for companies like Coca-Cola, Dodge, Oscar Meyer, Wrigley’s gums, Kellogg’s, Target, and a host of other international, national, regional and local businesses. The Clios are the esteemed international awards for the creative business, founded in 1959 to celebrate high achievement in advertising that pushes boundaries and establishes new precedent. Hummingbird is renowned in the industry as a leader of that charge, winning awards year after year throughout the course of its forty-year history.
Expanding upon his unique business style, Farnsworth adds, “Basically, we take a team approach to every project by bringing together directors, sound designers and composers to work in tandem throughout the production process. Historically, everyone has tended to be compartmentalized. With what we call our FUSIC process (the fusion of film and music), we bring everyone around the same table, right from the very beginning.”
Hummingbird’s goal for future TV and web advertising campaigns is to create true moments of FUSIC: to strive for at least one such moment in every piece of film and music work they do. Hummingbird demonstrates their FUSIC process dramatically – and regularly, around the United States – with directors who” think audio” and with composers who” think visuals,” and with content creators who always start a project with the importance of sound at top of mind.
Recent Fusic Projects
Among Hummingbird’s recent FUSIC projects are:
- Dolby Atmos: Dolby’s promotion of Dolby Atmos is the newest technology of speakers for movie theaters. Hummingbird was chosen to carefully integrate – or “Fuse” – sound with promotional video, directed by Hummingbird’s Garrett Nantz. Dolby took this promotional video all over the world to demonstrate the best audio visual movie theater experience possible. Hummingbird created the con- summate FUSIC piece, blending multi-directional sound and top quality video. Please see: https://vimeo.com/116592767
- “I Am Israel” documentary: Hummingbird has teamed with its award winning director David Kiern to score the entire score for this documentary, which the Knesset plans to air for the 50th anniversary of the Unification of Israel. Hummingbird has scored two other full documentaries with Mr. Kiern, including “Journey to Everest” and “Living Hope.” See: David Kiern’s Missions reel: https://vimeo.com/105199225 and “Journey to Everest” Trailer: https://vimeo.com/25041130
- St. Thomas Hospital system (Clio Award nominee): Hummingbird's full orchestra score was a major contribution in the BOHAN Agency winning Gold in the Addys, and also being a Clio Award contender for this "Nothing Shall be Impossible" campaign. The remarkable thing about this project was that the visuals were almost entirely still pictures. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJTuc50-POE
- “Cuba 2016 From the Back of a Van: Before The American Invasion:” This “documentary in progress” was actually filmed while Hummingbird was working on another project in Cuba. The doc presents a visceral reaction to Cuban communism's detriment to its people. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rswIiMtY5U
About BOB FARNSWORTH
Bob Farnsworth graduated from Furman University in 1974, and was signed as a recording artist with ABC Records that same year. Providence kept him in Nashville, where he has spent the last 40 years building Hummingbird Productions. Farnsworth and Hummingbird have worked with innumerable and diverse artists, from Dolly Parton to Arlo Guthrie, from Ray Charles to Stevie Ray Vaughn; and with venues ranging from the Philadelphia Orchestra to the London Symphony, and organizations ranging from the United Way to the United Nations.
Farnsworth performs and lectures across the country about advertising, FUSIC, and the power of sonic branding. At present he has five upcoming FUSIC talks scheduled for presentations in Memphis, Nashville, Madison, WI, and Mississippi. In 2014, he delivered a well-received TedX Talk entitled "Hearing is Believing" in Colorado. And he has also discussed the topic of FUSIC in New Orleans. Pls see: https://www.dropbox.com/s/cxj380pf7z7fxr3/New%20Orleans%20Speech%20FULL%20AUDIO.mp3?dl=0
In 2010, Farnsworth appeared on "The Today Show" as an industry icon. He has also been a speaker at the annual American Ad Federation Conference. He tackles tough issues on advertising, branding and ROI with a sense of joy that is infectious and exciting.
About HUMMINGBIRD PRODUCTIONS
Founded in Nashville, TN, in 1976 by Bob Farnsworth, Hummingbird Productions brands itself as a "One Stop FUSIC Shop." The company, historically one of the longest standing providers in the United States of original commercial, sound and music for the entertainment and advertising industries, also includes a team of film directors who have committed their future films to incorporating his unique design concept.
While Hummingbird is perhaps best known for its iconic Budweiser “Frogs” spot, its music also has been featured in such memorable advertising campaigns as Oscar Meyer’s “My Bologna Has a First Name,” "Always Coca-Cola," and Wrigley's "Double Double Your Refreshment." Hummingbird's sound designers, lyricists and composers also create original music for feature films/short films/documentaries, TV programs, soundtracks, web videos, radio commercials, video games, and more.
In addition to its Clio Hall of Fame Award for Budweiser “Frogs,” Hummingbird is the winner of numerous additional Clio and Lions Awards. The company, an acknowledged leader in the field of audio and sonic branding for the past 40 years, also offers music publishing, music licensing and music search services, all while actively working with artists from around the world.
Hummingbird Productions is located at 1521 Graybar, Nashville, TN, 37215. The phone is 615-385-3729 and the website is: www.hummingbirdproductions.com
